JJohnston015
Member
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2003
- Messages
- 466
I'm leaving the grocery store, 5 PM on Saturday (plenty of daylight left). I'm parked in the lane straight out from the door, at the far end, on the left side. About halfway down the lane on the right is the "cart corral". Just as I came out, a uniformed store employee was pulling a long train of carts out of the corral and across the lane, blocking all but a narrow spot on the left (convenient choke point). Right at that spot were two kids (early 20s), one male, one female, not uniformed employees. Each was holding a flourescent green piece of paper, like a flyer.
As I approached them, they were both looking at me; male was closer, looking like he was getting ready to say or do something. I expected him to try to hand me the flyer (it just so happens the grocery store workers are striking right now, but not at this particular store - I assumed it might be related).
Instead of handing me the paper, he said something unintelligible (classic decoy). I'm still not sure what it was, but I thought it was, "You dropped your pocket", and he gestured back the way I'd come. Reflexively, I looked back over my left shoulder. At that moment, I was in the narrowest part of the choke, with him at my 10 o'clock, an arms length and a half away, and the female at my 11.
I didn't see anything, and as I looked back around, he said something like, "Just joking. Got you."
The joke really was on me, because (I realized a half second too late) I'd just given him a big fat chance for an easy sucker punch. They used classic tactics: a choke point and at least 2 diversions (the "you dropped" and the flyer, although that may have been a coincidence).
I should have recognized the choke point right away (or the significance of it), and the fact that of all that great big parking lot, those 2 kids chose that narrow spot to be in. I could easily have waited for the store guy to clear those carts out of there.
Thoughts?
As I approached them, they were both looking at me; male was closer, looking like he was getting ready to say or do something. I expected him to try to hand me the flyer (it just so happens the grocery store workers are striking right now, but not at this particular store - I assumed it might be related).
Instead of handing me the paper, he said something unintelligible (classic decoy). I'm still not sure what it was, but I thought it was, "You dropped your pocket", and he gestured back the way I'd come. Reflexively, I looked back over my left shoulder. At that moment, I was in the narrowest part of the choke, with him at my 10 o'clock, an arms length and a half away, and the female at my 11.
I didn't see anything, and as I looked back around, he said something like, "Just joking. Got you."
The joke really was on me, because (I realized a half second too late) I'd just given him a big fat chance for an easy sucker punch. They used classic tactics: a choke point and at least 2 diversions (the "you dropped" and the flyer, although that may have been a coincidence).
I should have recognized the choke point right away (or the significance of it), and the fact that of all that great big parking lot, those 2 kids chose that narrow spot to be in. I could easily have waited for the store guy to clear those carts out of there.
Thoughts?